Rainbow Boys
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List Price: $8.99
Our Price: $8.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780689857706
ISBN: 0689857705
Label: Simon Pulse
Manufacturer: Simon Pulse
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 272
Publication Date: 2003-05-01
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Reading Level: Young Adult
Studio: Simon Pulse
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Editorial Reviews:
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Jason Carrillo is a jock with a steady girlfriend, but he can't stop dreaming about sex...with other guys. Kyle Meeks doesn't look gay, but he is. And he hopes he never has to tell anyone -- especially his parents. Nelson Glassman is "out" to the entire world, but he can't tell the boy he loves that he wants to be more than just friends. Three teenage boys, coming of age and out of the closet. In a revealing debut novel that percolates with passion and wit, Alex Sanchez follows these very different high-school seniors as their struggles with sexuality and intolerance draw them into a triangle of love, betrayal, and ultimately, friendship.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: No Seriously Guys, This Book Sucks. Like, a Whole Lot.
Comment: Well, someone has to do it- I must confess that I am rather perplexed that this book has not received more (read: any) negative reviews. 'Rainbow Boys' gained some notoriety among my friends as "the book in which depantsed was used in a *serious* context", however upon reading this "masterpiece" I found the the novel's problems ran far deeper than simple failed attempts at "Shakespearian wordsmithing".
I have a saying about this book whenever people ask me if it's any good. It goes something like this: "Rainbow Boys was so bad that it made me hate gay people." This, of course, is hyperbole, but it is difficult for me to express everything that is miserably misguided and wrong about this novel in less than twenty words without verbally composing a senior thesis. But I'll try:
My first impression of the prose was that it... under-developed. If I were in a generous mood, I would compare Alex Sanchez's writing to that of the kids who won the regional library writing contests when I was in sixth grade- I mean, it's *readable* as in there are full sentences and the descriptions are sort of coherent. But perhaps I am being unfair. I have certain benefits in life that Mr. Sanchez obviously has not:
- I have met actual gay people.
- I have met actual people.
Look, I'll be frank here: the real problem with 'Rainbow Boys' is not that it is badly written- although, let me reiterate, it is *very* badly written- it's that it purports to be an "educational" book dedicated to helping gay youths come to terms with their sexuality and helping straight youth come to understand their not-so-straight peers. Unfortunately, the book falls into a number of icky and damaging cliches and falls into them *hard*.
1. First and foremost, the father figures in the book are, without exception, portrayed as macho, over-bearing and incapable of understanding their sons' predicament while the mothers are always quick to keep the bond with their child. This is a book to help young, gay youth come to terms with the troubling events in their life? The subtext here is that a gay, male child will inherently relate better to the feminine aspect of their upbringing no matter their relationship to their father previous to their coming out. What message is this sending to gay youth who may be struggling with their father? Furthermore, is the author trying to say that gay men actually *are* closer to the feminine regardless of their upbringing or personality? My, my, that seems like an ugly bit of *stereotyping* on your part, Mr. Sanchez.
2. While it is certainly true that some gay youth do not realize that they are gay until late in their teen years, when Mr. Sanchez goes into excruciating detail about how much a character loves his girlfriend and enjoys sex with her and has never in his entire life thought sexually about men until he meets a gay boy of the appropriate age bracket... well, let me just say that I was not convinced. Maybe Mr. Sanchez was attempting to illustrate that Jason was desperately trying to convince *himself* he was straight, but the story does not read that way.
How the story reads is this: either you are completely straight or you are completely gay. Jason is attracted to Kyle so he can no longer be attracted to his girlfriend even though their relationship was perfectly healthy before. Bisexual youth struggle as well. Maybe theirs is a struggle Mr. Sanchez doesn't "admire" since they can theoretically "pass" in normal society by "choosing" to behave straight. Maybe he perceives them as having the "choice" ignorant people accuse homosexuals of having. I'll never know because Sanchez dismissed their existence entirely in 'Rainbow Boys': there is no in-between to him. If he wants to continue writing about social-sexual politics, he would do good to learn that sexuality is a spectrum, not a dichotomy.
3. Since Mr. Sanchez has never met an actual person, I was thinking maybe of giving him a free pass for his gross misrepresentation of eating disorders. Very few people who HAVE engaged in actual social interaction understand eating disorders as it is. In fact, many people who have known those afflicted with eating disorders fail to understand it completely. So instead of admonishing him on this point, I'll give him a few tips:
- While not traditionally considered mental illnesses, eating disorders tend to be coupled with abnormal psychology.
- Eating Disorders are a compulsive behaviour that lasts for a prolonged period of time. It is difficult to break the cycle and many sufferers take twice as long to recover as they did fasting.
- Eating Disorders are about control and mediating your identity. So yes, while it is conceivable that a gay youth might develop an eating disorder, it is an issue that you must treat sensitively. An example of an insensitive way to portray an eating disorder would be the following situation:
"Boy is depressed and eats a whole bag of Oreo cookies and then promptly throws them up. He declares that he has an eating disorder, but quickly quits when he is less depressed."
4. Token Lesbians. That's all I really have to say about them because that's all they really were.
5. Morning. After. Pill. For. AIDS. While this *does* exist, it is a problematic treatment which the effectiveness of is still in question. Mr. Sanchez, however, disregarded this because he was eager to offer his character an easy way out.
6. While this isn't a cliche, there is a great deal of hypocrisy present in the key relationship in the book. While the authority figures in the novel make a great to-do about "waiting" until you're ready for sex and "taking things slow", Jason and Kyle go on a grand total of *one date* before hopping in bed (they've formally known each other, what, a week tops?). Wait! this is a cliche, or rather, a harmful stereotype: being gay is so much about sex, those silly, promiscuous "homos" can't wait until they jump into bed! Yeah, yeah: I know they're teenagers, but seriously- Jason is recently out of a long-term relationship and barely out of the closet. If 'Rainbow Boys' wants to promote responsible sexual practices, then it should make sure to tell youth- gay and straight alike- that it takes more than a condom to make sex between confused teenagers responsible.
In conclusion, this book is an empty, soulless, poorly-written shill of a novel that sends a myriad of negative messages about gay culture to young people. The end.
Customer Rating:
Summary: fabulous gay YA book
Comment: *Rainbow Boys* is such a good book and a rare one on gay themes. The book focuses on three gay teens: Kyle, Jason and Nelson. Among them, they faced a variety of issues, such as coming out, HIV, romance, homophobia and other related issues. However, Sanchez doesn't stop there. He addresses other issues that other people face as well, such as domestic violence.
Between them, a friendship blossoms and they soon learn to lean on each other for support. And support, they all need it in any form. So, Sanchez introduces PFLAG, Gay-Straight Alliance and moral support from friends and loved ones. Little by little, with support, the trio soon bond and face tough problems together. With friends behind them, they soon learn that nothing shall stand in their way.
Sanchez is a gifted writer. He uses words so accurately that I was on my own memory trips throughout this book. I'm definitely reading his other books!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A classic gay coming-of-age novel for all ages
Comment: "Rainbow Boys" is a novel that excels at character development, telling its story through the eyes of three gay teens--Jason, Kyle and Nelson. All three are coming of age in their senior year of high school and coping with their sexual orientation in very different ways, ranging from open and defiant to closeted and in denial. Their stories intertwine, and each has not just high school to traverse but unique family difficulties to overcome. All three characters are eminently likable, and it's easy to sympathize with their plights. And their stories and travails are genuine and real. This is the first in a series of "Rainbow" books following these characters, and I greatly look forward to reading the next installment. I highly recommend this novel. It's a gay coming of age classic."
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good read for young socially conscious teens
Comment: I bought this book for my son as a gift. He says they are well written and thinks that it's a good insight into the minds dilemmas and real life situations of queer youth. Thank you Mr Sanchez for writing something thought provoking and caring for these often forgotten group of people! We have now purchased all of these books.
Customer Rating:
Summary: loved it
Comment: i loved this book so much the first time that i picked it up i couldn't put it down i had to read the other 2 books
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